A valve unit supplies ink supplied from a plurality of ink cartridges to a recording head. The recording head includes a plurality of nozzle rows respectively corresponding to the plurality of ink cartridges. The valve unit includes a plurality of liquid supply passages and at least one flow passage formation body. Each liquid supply passage supplies the ink supplied from the corresponding ink cartridge to the corresponding nozzle row. Each liquid supply passage includes a common portion functionally in common with another liquid supply passage. The common structure of the plurality of liquid supply passages is formed in the same flow passage formation body.
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1. A liquid supplying device for supplying liquid that is supplied from a plurality of liquid containers to a liquid ejection head including a plurality of nozzle rows respectively corresponding to the plurality of liquid containers, the liquid supplying device comprising:
a plurality of liquid supply passages, each of the liquid supply passages being capable of supplying liquid supplied from a corresponding one of the liquid containers to a corresponding one of the nozzle rows, wherein each of the liquid supply passages includes a common portion that is functionally in common with another one of the liquid supply passages; and
at least one flow passage formation body, the common portions of the plurality of liquid supply passages being formed in the same flow passage formation body, wherein:
a plurality of liquid storage units for temporarily storing liquid supplied from a corresponding one of the liquid containers are respectively formed in the plurality of liquid supply passages, the plurality of liquid storage units being formed in the same flow passage formation body so as to be shaped identically;
each of the plurality of liquid storage units causes stored liquid to flow out into the liquid ejection head based on a pressure fluctuation in the liquid storage unit that occurs when liquid is ejected from a corresponding one of the nozzle rows;
the plurality of liquid storage units are formed by a plurality of conduit flow passages extending parallel to each other;
each of the conduit flow passages includes an opening that opens in one surface of the at least one flow passage formation body, and each liquid storage unit is formed by attaching a film member to the one surface of the at least one flow passage formation body so as to seal the opening of each conduit flow passage;
the film member is displaceable in accordance with the pressure in each liquid storage unit, and each of the liquid storage units includes a liquid entrance and a liquid exit, with an open/close valve arranged in each liquid entrance and operated based on displacement of the film member;
when the film member is displaced by negative pressure generated in at least one of the liquid storage units as liquid flows out of the liquid exit thereof, displacement of the film member is transmitted to the open/close valve of the at least one of the liquid storage units and the open/close valve of the at least one of the liquid storage units opens the liquid entrance of the at least one of the liquid storage units; and
a plurality of actuating levers are supported in a cantilevered manner by the at least one flow passage formation body so as to be respectively arranged in the liquid storage units, each actuating lever pushing a respective open/close valve in a valve opening direction with an actuation force obtained by increasing displacement force of the film member when the film member is displaced inward into a liquid storage unit, and the plurality of actuating levers being arranged on a single elastic plate in a comb-shaped manner.
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This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-085703, filed on Mar. 27, 2006, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a liquid supplying device and a liquid ejection apparatus.
2. Related Art
An ink jet printer (hereinafter referred to as a printer) is widely known as a liquid ejection apparatus for ejecting liquid onto a target. The printer has a recording head (liquid ejection head) mounted on a carriage that reciprocates. The recording head is supplied with ink (liquid) from an ink cartridge (liquid container) mounted on the printer at a predetermined location. The ink is ejected to a paper, which serves as a target, from a nozzle formed in a nozzle formation surface of the recording head to perform printing.
Such a printer is disclosed in, for example, JP-A-2005-95861. The printer is provided with a carriage including a valve unit (liquid supplying device) having a liquid supply passage for supplying ink from an ink cartridge to a recording head. In the valve unit, a pressure chamber (liquid storage unit) for temporarily storing ink is defined in the liquid supply passage. The pressure chamber is formed by a flow passage formation body, which has a fixed shape, and a flexible film. Further, the pressure chamber includes an entrance, which is in communication with the upstream side of the liquid supply passage extending from the ink cartridge, and an exit, which is in communication with the downstream side of the liquid supply passage extending from the recording head.
An open/close valve that opens and closes to regulate the flow of ink from the entrance to the pressure chamber is arranged in the liquid supply passage. The film is displaced when sensing negative pressure generated as the ink in the pressure chamber decreases due to ink ejection from the recording head. The displacement of the film opens and closes the open/close valve to adjust the supply pressure of the ink supplied from the ink cartridge to the recording head.
To enable multi-color printing, recent printers include a plurality of ink cartridges containing different colors of ink. Further, a plurality of nozzle rows respectively corresponding to the ink cartridges are formed in the nozzle formation surface of the recording head. A plurality of liquid supply passages are formed between the ink cartridges and the corresponding nozzle rows. The liquid supply passages enable ink to be supplied from the ink cartridges to the corresponding nozzle rows. A pressure chamber is arranged in each liquid supply passage. The displacement of a film opens and closes an open/close valve to regulate the inward flow of the ink. The pressure chamber, which is formed by a flow passage formation body and a film, is arranged in each liquid supply passage. The printer disclosed in JP-A-2005-95861 has a similar structure, and the printer includes two valve units, each having two liquid supply passages with a pressure chamber arranged in each liquid supply passage.
However, in the structure in which a liquid supply passage and a pressure chamber are formed in each of the plurality of valve units, the flow passage formation body and the film that forming the pressure chamber differs between each valve unit. Thus, the liquid supply passages and the pressure chambers arranged in different valve units may differ between one another in the behavior of the negative pressure generated in the pressure chamber, the open/close timing of the open/close valve that corresponds to the displacement of the film based on the negative pressure, and the supply of the ink through the liquid supply passages. Accordingly, the ejection state of the ink ejected from the recording head varies between the nozzle rows, and satisfactory printing cannot be performed.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a liquid supplying device that supplies liquid with liquid supply passages in a uniform manner when liquid is supplied through the liquid supply passages from a plurality of liquid containers to a plurality of nozzle rows in a liquid ejection head.
To achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention provides a liquid supplying device for supplying liquid that is supplied from a plurality of liquid containers to a liquid ejection head including a plurality of nozzle rows respectively corresponding to the plurality of liquid containers. The liquid supplying device includes a plurality of liquid supply passages and at least one flow passage formation body. Each of the liquid supply passages is capable of supplying liquid supplied from a corresponding one of the liquid containers to a corresponding one of the nozzle rows. Each of the liquid supply passages includes a common portion that is functionally in common with another one of the liquid supply passages. The common portions of the plurality of liquid supply passages are formed in the same flow passage formation body.
A further aspect of the present invention provides a liquid ejection apparatus including a plurality of liquid containers, a liquid ejection head, a plurality of liquid supply passages, and at least one flow passage formation body. The liquid ejection head includes a plurality of nozzle rows respectively corresponding to the plurality of liquid containers. Each of the liquid supply passages is capable of supplying liquid supplied from a corresponding one of the liquid containers to a corresponding one of the nozzle row. Each of the liquid supply passages includes a common portion that is functionally in common with another one of the liquid supply passages. The common portions of the plurality of liquid supply passages are formed in the same flow passage formation body.
The invention, together with objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description of the presently preferred embodiments together with the accompanying drawings in which:
One embodiment embodying the present invention will now be described according to
As shown in
A cartridge holder 15 is arranged in the main body case 11 at a position (right end side position in
A drive pulley 17 and a driven pulley 18 are rotatably supported on the main body case 11. The drive pulley 17 and the driven pulley 18 are located at positions corresponding to the two ends of the guide shaft 12 on the inner surface of the rear wall of the main body case 11. An endless timing belt 19 connects the drive pulley 17 and the driven pulley 18. A carriage motor 20 fixed to the rear wall of the main body case 11 has an output shaft (not shown) coupled to the drive pulley 17. The drive force of the carriage motor 20 transmitted by the timing belt 19 reciprocates the carriage 14 in the direction of the guide shaft 12 (lateral direction of
A platen 21 arranged below the guide shaft 12 in the main body case 11 extends in the lateral direction. The platen 21 is a support base for supporting paper (not shown), which serves as a target, and feeds the paper towards the front side (lower side in
A valve unit 22, which serves as a liquid supplying device is mounted on the carriage 14, supplies the ink (liquid) supplied from each ink cartridge 16 to the recording head 13. A plurality (four in the present embodiment) ink supply tubes 23 is connected to the valve unit 22. Each ink supply tube 23 is connected to a corresponding one of the ink cartridges 16. This enables ink to be supplied from each ink cartridge 16 to the valve unit 22. The valve unit 22 temporarily stores ink drawn from each ink cartridge 16 via the corresponding ink supply tube 23, adjusts the stored ink to a predetermined pressure, and supplies the ink to the corresponding nozzle row 13A (see
A pressurizing unit 24 is arranged above the cartridge holder 15 in the main body case 11. The pressurizing unit 24, which includes a pressurizing pump 26, a pressure sensor 27, and an atmospheric valve 28, sends the pressurized air (pressurized gas) to the ink cartridges 16 through an air supply tube 25. The air supply tube 25 is branched into a plurality (four in the present embodiment) of tubes from a distributor 29 arranged downstream from the atmospheric valve 28. Each branched tube is connected to a corresponding one of the ink cartridges 16.
As shown in
An air supply connection port 33 extends through one side wall of the ink case 30. The air supply connection port 33 is located below the ink supply connection port 32. A tubular connection tube 34 is fitted into the air supply connection port 33. The connection tube 34 has a first end (right end in
When the pressurizing pump 26 is driven to feed pressurized air into the air chamber 35 of the ink case 30 through the air supply tube 25, the ink pack 31 is squeezed by the air pressure (pressurized force) of the pressurized air. The squeezed ink pack 31 supplies the ink in the ink pack 31 to the valve unit 22 via the ink supply tube 23.
The valve unit 22 will now be described.
As shown in
The detailed structure of the protection plate 39 will first be described.
As shown in
A seal film 44 serving as a film member is thermally welded and attached to the rear surface of the protection plate 39 so as to cover the plurality of conduit recesses 42. The seal film 44 is a flexible thin film. The seal film 44 is subjected to pressure molding in advance so that the regions corresponding to the conduit recesses 42 are dome-shaped and slightly curved into the conduit recesses 42, as shown in
As shown in
Pilot holes 39a functioning as the positioning portions extend through the protection plate 39 in the vicinity of the two corners on one of the two short sides (the closer short side as viewed in
The detailed structure of the pressure chamber component 36 will now be described.
As shown in
An entrance 51 having a small diameter extends through the inner bottom surface of each conduit flow passage 50 near a first end, and an exit 52 having a small diameter extends through the inner bottom surface of each conduit flow passage 50 near a second end. A rectangular seat 53 projects from the front surface of the pressure chamber component 36 in the vicinity of one of the two long sides. The seat 53 is fitted to the cutaway portion 40 of the protection plate 39 for positioning when joining the pressure chamber component 36 and the protection plate 39. A plurality of (four in the present embodiment) of liquid inlets 54 extend through the seat 53. The downstream end of an ink supply tube 23 is connected to each liquid inlet 54.
Cutaway portions 55, which engage two of the four cylindrical bushings 41 on the protection plate 39 when the pressure chamber component 36 and the protection plate 39 are joined, are formed at the two corners at a first end side in the longitudinal direction of the pressure chamber component 36. Two positioning pins 56 spaced by a fixed distant in the lateral direction of the pressure chamber component 36 are arranged near the first longitudinal end of the pressure chamber component 36 on the front surface of the pressure chamber component 36. The positioning pins 56 project upward.
Two insertion holes 57 enabling the insertion of the two remaining cylindrical bushings 41 on the protection plate 39 extend through the pressure chamber component 36 near the second longitudinal end. The insertion holes 57 serve as the positioning portions. A pilot hole 58 (positioning portion) aligned with the pilot hole 39a of the protection plate 39 when the pressure chamber component 36 and the protection plate 39 are joined extends through the vicinity of each insertion hole 57.
Furthermore, an atmospheric communication hole 59 extends through the front surface of the pressure chamber component 36 in the vicinity of the insertion hole 57, as shown in
Moreover, an adhesive application portion 36a is arranged on the front surface of the pressure chamber component 36 around each conduit flow passage 50, each insertion hole 57, and each pilot hole 58, as shown in
As shown in
A plurality of (four in the present embodiment) valve receptacles 64 are formed in the rear surface of the pressure chamber component 36. Each valve receptacle 64 corresponds to one of the entrances 51 and is aligned coaxially with the corresponding entrance 51, as shown in
As shown in
An adhered region 36b is defined on the rear surface of the pressure chamber component 36 around the liquid inlets 54, the valve receptacles 64, the ink flow passages 65a, 65b, and the recesses 66 to 69. Adhesive applied to the first flow passage component 37 adheres to the adhered region 36b when joining the pressure chamber component 36 and the first flow passage component 37.
As shown in
The detailed structure of the first flow passage component 37 will now be described.
As shown in
As shown in
A round inlet filter member 74 made of a metal mesh is thermally welded and attached to a large diameter portion of each of the recesses 70 to 73 in the first flow passage component 37. The inlet filter member 74 filters the ink that flows into the valve unit 22 from the liquid inlets 54 to capture foreign matter in the ink. In the present embodiment, the mesh roughness of the inlet filter member 74 is set to about 29 microns to capture foreign matter that is larger than 30 microns.
As shown in
Ink flow passages (part of liquid supply passage) 76b shaped identically to the ink flow passage 65b are formed in the front surface of the first flow passage component 37 at locations corresponding to the ink flow passages 65b of the pressure chamber component 36 and extend from the recesses 71 and 73 to predetermined positions. A through hole 77 is formed in the inner bottom surface of the distal end of each ink flow passage 76b. The through holes 77 are connected to the ink passages 75 described above through ink flow passages (not shown) formed in the rear surface of the first flow passage component 37. The ink supplied from the liquid inlets 54 located at the upstream side is guided to the recess 67 and 69 flowing through the ink passages 75, the ink flow passages in the rear surface (not shown), the through holes 77, and then the ink flow passages 76b in the front surface.
A plurality of (four in the present embodiment) valve receptacles 78 extends through the first flow passage component 37 at location corresponding to the plurality of valve receptacles 64 of the pressure chamber component 36. Each valve receptacle 78 has a mirror relationship with the corresponding valve receptacle 64. Ink is guided to the valve receptacles 78 from the recesses 70 to 73 located at the upstream side through holes (not shown) extending through the inner bottom surface of the recesses 70 to 73 and ink flow passage (not shown) formed continuously from the passage holes in the rear surface of the first flow passage component 37e.
Threaded insertion hole 79 is formed in the front surface of the first flow passage component 37 at locations corresponding to the cutaway portions 55 of the pressure chamber component 36. Each threaded insertion hole 79 is aligned with the distal end surface (i.e., threaded hole 41a) of the corresponding one of the cylindrical bushings 41 on the protection plate 39 when the pressure chamber component 36 and the protection plate 39 are stacked on the first flow passage component 37. Two insertion holes 80 and two pilot holes (positioning portions) 81 extend through the front surface of the first flow passage component 37. Each of the insertion holes 80 and pilot holes 81 is aligned with the corresponding ones of the insertion holes 57 and the pilot holes 58 of the pressure chamber component 36.
As shown in
The detailed structure of the second flow passage component 38 will now be described.
As shown in
A round outlet filter member 85 made of a metal mesh is thermally welded and attached to the large diameter portion of each recess 83 of the second flow passage component 83. The outlet filter members 85 filter the ink flowing out of the valve unit 22 through the liquid outlets 84 and captures foreign matter in the ink. In the present embodiment, the mesh roughness of the outlet filter member 85 is set to about 19 microns to capture foreign matter smaller than 20 microns, which is equivalent to the diameter of a nozzle 13a (see
As shown in
Threaded insertion holes 88 are formed in the front surface of the second flow passage component 38 at locations corresponding to the two threaded insertion holes 79 of the first flow passage component 37. Insertion holes 89 and pilot holes (positioning portion) 90 extend through the front surface of the second flow passage component 38 at locations corresponding to the insertion holes 80 and the pilot holes 81 of the first flow passage component 37.
As shown in
When the first flow passage component 37 and the pressure chamber component 36 are stacked on the second flow passage component 38, a movable valve (open/close valve) 91 shown in
The movable valve 91 includes a shaft portion 91a, which is insertable into an entrance 51 of the pressure chamber component 36, and a flange portion 91b, which is movable in the axial direction of the shaft portion 91a in the valve receptacle 64 of the pressure chamber component 36 and the valve receptacle 78 of the first flow passage component 37, as shown in
A method for manufacturing the valve unit 22 by assembling the protection plate 39, the pressure chamber component 36, the first flow passage component 37, and the second flow passage component 38 will now be discussed with reference to
As shown in
When assembling the components together on the base plate 100a of the jig 100 in a stacked state, the protection plate 39 is arranged at the bottom. Then the pressure chamber component 36, the first flow passage component 37, and the second flow passage component 38 are stacked on top of each other, as shown in
First, the protection plate 39 is mounted on the base plate 100a of the jig 100 with the front surface facing downward, as shown in
The seal film 44 is then attached to the rear surface, which is facing upward, of the protection plate 39. Among the four cylindrical bushings 41 projecting from the rear surface of the protection plate 39, the two cylindrical bushings 41 spaced by a short interval are inserted into the positioning holes 46 of the seal film 44. This arranges the seal film 44 at a proper position so as to cover the conduit recesses 42 formed in the rear surface of the protection plate 39. The seal film 44 is thermally welded to the protection plate 39 with the regions of the seal film 44 that are dome-shape and curved through pressure molding being located in the conduit recesses 42. The seal film 44 may be attached to the rear surface of the protection plate 39 in advance.
Subsequently, the pressure chamber component 36 is arranged on the protection plate 39 with the front surface facing downward, as shown in
As a result, the cylindrical bushings 41 of the protection plate 39 are inserted into the corresponding cutaway portions 55 and insertion holes 57 of the pressure chamber component 36, and the seat 53 of the pressure chamber component 36 is fitted into the cutaway portion 40 of the protection plate 39. The atmospheric communication hole 59 of the pressure chamber component 36 is in communication with the corresponding atmospheric communication hole 48 of the protection plate 39. In this state, the adhesive application portion 36a of the pressure chamber component 36 is arranged at the proper position at which the adhesive application portion 36a is aligned with the adhering region (region around the conduit recesses 42 (not shown)) of the seal film 44 attached to the protection plate 39.
The first flow passage component 37 is then arranged on the pressure chamber component 36 with the front surface facing downward, as shown in
The threaded insertion holes 79 and 80 of the first flow passage component 37 are aligned with the threaded holes 41a of the corresponding cylindrical bushings 41 of the protection plate 39, and the threaded insertion holes 37b are aligned with the corresponding nut receptacles 36c of the pressure chamber component 36. The recesses 70 to 73 and the ink flow passages 76a to 76c of the first flow passage component 37 are aligned with the corresponding recesses 66 to 69 and the ink flow passages 65a to 65c of the pressure chamber component 36, and the valve receptacles 78 of the first flow passage component 37 is aligned with the corresponding valve receptacles 64 of the pressure chamber component 36. In this state, the adhesive application portion 37a of the front surface of the first flow passage component 37 is arranged at a proper position in alignment with the adhered region 36b of the pressure chamber component 36.
As shown in
Thereafter, the second flow passage component 38 is arranged on the first flow passage component 37 with the front surface facing downward, as shown in
The threaded insertion holes 88, 89, 38b of the second flow passage component 38 are thereby positioned with the corresponding threaded insertion holes 79, 80, 37b of the first flow passage component 37, and each recess 83 and each ink flow passage 87 are positioned with the corresponding concave part (not shown) and the ink flow passage (not shown) of the first flow passage component 37. Furthermore, the tubular seat 86 of the second flow passage component 38 is inserted to the corresponding valve receptacle 78 of the first flow passage component 37, and the distal end of the tubular seat 86 is inserted to the basal end portion having a large diameter of the seal spring 92 that is already inserted in the valve receptacle 78. In this state, the adhesive application portion 38a of the front surface of the second flow passage component 38 is arranged at an appropriate position at where the adhesive application portion 38a is positioned with the adhering region (not shown) formed on the rear surface of the first flow passage component 37.
A plurality of (four in the present embodiment) screw members 101 are inserted into the threaded insertion holes 88 and 89 of the second flow passage component 38, as shown in
The adhesive between the adjacent flow passage formation bodies dry and harden while the adjacent flow passage formation bodies (e.g., first flow passage component 37 and second flow passage component 38) are clamped in the stacking direction. Thus, the manufacturing of the valve unit 22 is completed without waiting for the adhesive to dry and harden.
A head case 102 of the recording head 13 is then integrated with the completed valve unit 22. A head connection port rubber seal 103, a peripheral rubber seal 104, and a head base plate 105 are arranged on the rear surface of the valve unit 22, and the head case 102 is attached to the rear surface of the second flow passage component 38 from which the head connection ports 22a project, as shown in
The distal ends of the fastening screws 107 are then extended through the threaded insertion holes 38b of the second flow passage component 38 and the threaded insertion holes 37b of the first flow passage component 37 and fastened to the hexagonal nuts (not shown) fitted into the nut receptacle 36c of the pressure chamber component 36. The head case 102 is fixed to the valve unit 22 by the fastening force of the fastening screws 107. This completes the head unit 108 shown in
This manufactures the valve unit 22 including a plurality of liquid supply passages capable of supplying ink from the plurality of ink cartridges 16 to the recording head 13 with the plurality of nozzle rows 13A corresponding to the ink cartridges 16. In the present embodiment, the liquid supply passages in the valve unit 22 is formed by the conduit flow passages 50 (pressure chamber 50A), the ink flow passages 65a to 65c, 76a to 76c, and 87, and the recesses 66 to 69, 70 to 73, and 83.
Each liquid supply passage includes a common portion (e.g., conduit flow passage 50 (pressure chamber 50A), ink flow passage 76a, recesses 70 to 73 etc.) that are functionally in common with other liquid supply passages in the valve unit 22 of the present embodiment. The common portion of the plurality of liquid supply passages is formed in the same flow passage formation body (e.g., pressure chamber component 36, second flow passage component 38). Therefore, pressure fluctuations do not differ between the pressure chambers 50A in the plurality of liquid supply passages. The head unit 108 (valve unit 22) manufactured in this manner is then mounted on the carriage 14.
The operation of the head unit 108 will now be described with reference to
The ink supplied to the valve unit 22 through each ink supply tube 23 is temporarily stored in the pressure chamber 50A. Then, the ink is supplied to the corresponding nozzle row 13A (see
As a result, the seal film 44 is displaced so as to deform inward (downward in
The flow of the entering ink increases the pressure in the pressure chamber 50A and cancels the negative pressure state. Thus, the seal film 44 returns to its original form as shown in the state of
If foreign matter is contained in the ink supplied from the ink supply tube 23 to the valve unit 22, such foreign matter is first captured by the inlet filter member 74. As a result, foreign matter does not reach the downstream side of the inlet filter member 74, and foreign matter is prevented from being caught in the seal portion 91c of the movable valve 91 and affecting sealing properties. Further, the temporary storage of ink and the supply of ink to the recording head 13 are performed while maintaining the environment in the pressure chamber 50A clean.
Fine foreign matter (e.g., less than 29 microns) that cannot be captured by the inlet filter member 74 passes through the movable valve 91 and reaches the pressure chamber 50A. However, such fine foreign material is captured by the outlet filter member 85 located downstream of the pressure chamber 50A. This prevents the nozzle 13a from being clogged by foreign matter.
Foreign matter may enter the head case 102 of the recording head 13 during the manufacturing stage. When such foreign matter is suspended in the ink supplied from the valve unit 22 to each nozzle row 13A through an ink flow passage (liquid supply passage), which is not shown in the drawings, in the head case 102, such foreign matter would clog the nozzles 13a. In such as case, the fastening screws 107 are removed to separate the head case 102 from the valve unit 22 in the present embodiment. Then, the ink flow passage in the head case 102 undergoes forcibly suction from the side opposite the nozzle 13a of the recording head 13, that is, from the upstream side in the ink flow direction, to reverse the flow of ink and reversely wash the recording head 13. A filter member is not arranged in the ink flow passage in the head case 102. This ensures that the foreign matter is discharged from the head case 102 with the ink reversely flowing through the ink flow passage when the above washing is performed.
The above embodiment has the advantages described below.
(1) The valve unit 22 supplies the ink from the plurality of ink cartridges 16 to the corresponding nozzle row 13A via the plurality of liquid supply passages corresponding to the plurality of ink cartridges 16. Each liquid supply passage includes a common portion (e.g., conduit flow passage 50 (pressure chamber 50A), ink flow passage 76a, recesses 70 to 73 etc.) that is functionally in common with other liquid supply passages. The common portion of the plurality of liquid supply passages is formed in the same flow passage formation body (e.g., pressure chamber component 36 and second flow passage component 38). This prevents the ink supplying function from varying between the liquid supply passages (e.g., between the pressure chambers 50A), and the ink supplying state becomes uniform.
(2) The plurality of pressure chambers (liquid storage unit) 50A, each forming part of a liquid supply passage, are formed in the same pressure chamber component (flow passage formation body) 36 and identically shaped. Thus, pressure fluctuations, which occur in the pressure chamber 50A when ink is ejected from the nozzle row 13A of the recording head 13, does not vary between the plurality of pressure chambers 50A. Accordingly, the state of the ink flowing out of the plurality of pressure chambers 50A to the recording head 13 is uniform.
(3) The plurality of pressure chambers 50A are formed by the plurality of conduit flow passages 50 extending parallel to each other. Thus, the plurality of pressure chambers 50A are formed in the same flow passage formation body (pressure chamber component 36 in the present embodiment) while saving space. This contributes to the miniaturization of the printer 10 compared to when the flow passage forming the pressure chamber is a circular flow passage or the like.
(4) The plurality of pressure chambers (liquid storage unit) 50A may be formed simultaneously just by covering the plurality of conduit flow passages 50 formed in the pressure chamber component 36, which is one of the flow passage formation bodies, with a single seal film 44. Therefore, the manufacturing efficiency of the valve unit 22 is improved compared to when using a strip of a seal film for each conduit flow passage 50.
(5) The movable valve (open/close valve) 91 is arranged at each entrance 51 of the plurality of pressure chambers 50A. However, the seal film 44 displaced to open the movable valve 91 is a single film member used commonly between each of the movable valves 91. Thus, the operation timing is prevented from varying between the plurality of movable valves 91. This aspect also contributes to making the state of the ink flowing out of the plurality of pressure chambers 50A to the recording head 13 uniform.
(6) The plurality of actuating levers for operating each of the plurality of movable valves 91 is formed by a plurality of elastic strips 60 extending from the single elastic plate 62. That is, the plurality of actuating levers corresponding to the plurality of movable valves 91 is prepared by simply attaching the single elastic member 62 to the pressure chamber component 36. This improves the manufacturing efficiency of the valve unit 22.
(7) The state of the ink supplied from the plurality of liquid supply passages (e.g., pressure chamber 50A) to the nozzle row 13A of the recording head 13 is uniformed. Thus, the state of the ink ejected from the plurality of nozzle rows 13A is prevented from varying between the nozzle rows 13A.
(8) Even if the adhesive between adjacent flow passage formation bodies is still not dry, the subsequent flow passage formation bodies can be adhered to each other one after another. That is, the screw member 101 serving as the pressure contact member holds the flow passage formation bodies so that they are not displaced or separated even if the adhesive is still not dried and hardened. Accordingly, the assembly of the valve unit 22 may be quickly completed without waiting for the adhesive to dry and harden. This improves the manufacturing efficiency of the printer 10 incorporating the valve unit 22.
(9) The plurality of flow passage formation bodies is rapidly and easily integrated by using the screw members 101, which are versatile products, in the manufacturing stage of the valve unit 22. The state of pressure contact between adjacent flow passage formation bodies is adjusted by adjusting the fastening force of the screw members 101.
(10) The integration of the flow passage formation bodies is completed by simply fastening the screw members 101 once even if there are many flow passage formation bodies forming the valve unit 22. This improves the manufacturing efficiency of the valve unit 22.
(11) The flow passage formation bodies adjacent in the stacking direction, such as the pressure chamber component 36 and the first flow passage component 37, are stacked in a satisfactory manner so that the outer contours are aligned when viewed from above by using the positioning function of the pilot holes 58 and 81 serving as the positioning portions.
(12) When the ink supplied from the valve unit 22 to the recording head 13 contains foreign matter, such foreign matter is captured by the outlet filter member 85 arranged in the liquid supply passage (recess 83) of in the valve unit 22. Thus, ink from which foreign matter is eliminated is supplied from the valve unit 22 to the recording head 13. If foreign matter is present in the ink flow passage (liquid supply passage) in the head case 102, such foreign matter is removed by reversely washing the recording head 13.
(13) If the ink supplied from the ink cartridge 16 to the valve unit 22 contains foreign matter, such foreign matter is captured and removed by the inlet filter member 74. This keeps the environment in the valve unit 22 (pressure chamber 50A etc.) clean. This reduces the possibility of foreign matter being caught in the seal portion 91c of the movable valve (open/close valve) 91, and the sealing function remains the same. Thus, the operation of the valve unit 22 is stabilized.
(14) Foreign matter that cannot be captured by the inlet filter member 74 is captured by the outlet filter member 85 arranged on the downstream side of the inlet filter member 74. Thus, clean ink, from which foreign matter is eliminated, is supplied to the recording head 13.
(15) The mesh roughness of the outlet filter member 85 is set so as to enable the capturing of foreign matter smaller than the diameter of the nozzles 13a of the recording head 13. This prevents the nozzles 13a from being clogged by foreign matter.
(16) Each of the filter members 74 and 85 is attached to one of the flow passage formation bodies at a predetermined location (recess 70 to 73, 83) before stacking the flow passage formation bodies. Accordingly, the attachment of the filter members 74 and 85 is significantly simplified.
The above embodiment may be modified to different embodiments as described below.
In the above embodiment, each of the filter members 74 and 85 may be press-fitted to and attached to the liquid inlets 54 or the liquid outlets 84 in the valve unit 22.
In the above embodiment, the mesh roughness of each of the inlet filter members 74 and the outlet filter members 85 may be the same. Alternately, the mesh roughness may have any value differing from that of the above embodiment (29 microns, 19 microns).
In the above embodiment, instead of metal mesh, each of the filter members 74 and 85 may be made of non-woven cloth, glass fiber, or the like.
In the above embodiment, the inlet filter members 74 may be eliminated from the valve unit 22 so that only the outlet filter members 85 are attached to the valve unit 22. In this case, foreign material can be eliminated from the inside of the recording head 13 by reversely washing the recording head 13.
In the above embodiment, the protection plate 39, the pressure chamber component 36, the first flow passage component 37, and the second flow passage component 38 may each be divided into four flow passages. Each of the quarterly-divided flow passage formation body may be stacked to form units of single flow passages, thereby forming four valve units. In such a structure, the valve unit can be readily manufactured in units of single flow passages without waiting for the adhesive to dry and harden.
In the above embodiment, the pilot holes 39a, 58, 81 serving as the positioning portions do not necessarily need to be arranged in the valve unit 22.
In the above embodiment, the screw members 101, serving as the pressure contact members may hold only two of the flow passage formation bodies that are adjacent in the stacking direction in a clamped state with the screw fastening force. In this case, however, the screw member 101 that becomes necessary increases as the number of flow passage formation bodies that are stacked increases.
In the above embodiment, the pressure contact member may be a clip device or a pressing device in lieu of the screw members 101.
In the above embodiment, the plurality of elastic strips 60 forming the actuating levers may each be an elastic member of a simple structure.
In the above embodiment, the elastic plate 62 may be eliminated, and a pressure receiving plate may be attached to the seal film 44 so that the pressure receiving plate opens the movable valve 91 when the seal film 44 is displaced.
In the above embodiment, the seal film 44 may be a plurality of film strips respectively corresponding to the plurality of conduit recesses 42.
In the above embodiment, the flow passage of the valve unit 22 forming the pressure chamber 50A is not limited to the conduit flow passages 50 and may be a circular hole.
The valve unit 22 does not necessarily need to be formed by stacking the plurality of flow passage formation bodies as long as the common portion of the plurality of the liquid supply passages is formed in the same flow passage formation body, and the valve unit 22 may be formed by a single flow passage formation body.
A printer (printing device including facsimile, copier etc.) for ejecting ink has been described as the liquid ejection apparatus in the above embodiment. However, the printer may be a liquid ejection apparatus that ejects other liquids. The liquid ejection apparatus according to the present invention may be applied to an apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal display, plasma display, organic EL display, an FED (field emission display), or the like. The liquid ejection apparatus discharges various materials such as a coloring material for forming a pixel forming region, electrode forming region, or the like or liquid for an electrode or the like. The liquid ejection apparatus of the present invention may be applied to a liquid ejection apparatus for ejecting liquid containing bioorganic substance used in manufacturing bio chips.
Fujishiro, Takeshi, Seshimo, Tatsuya
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May 23 2007 | SESHIMO, TATSUYA | Seiko Epson Corporation | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 019394 | /0480 | |
May 23 2007 | FUJISHIRO, TAKESHI | Seiko Epson Corporation | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 019394 | /0480 |
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